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My Grandfather Thomas Scanlon
I have been trying to find any information on Thomas Emmett Scanlon(recent confirmation of his exact name was obtained) for several years. He is my mothers father and supposedly died when she was very young. We know very little about him... which is why I haven't been able to find much information about him at all or determine if he did actually die.
This is what I know as fact and what my mother was told about her Father.
He married Minnie Lucille Wilty (Bayles) in Omaha, Nebraska in 1927
His name on the marriage license (my mother has the original) is written as: Thomas E. Scanlon.
Now, my mother was always told his middle name was Sean. I'm assuming the middle initial on the marriage license is an error. (Now know middle initial is NOT an error)
Thomas and Minnie had Patricia Alice around 1929, she was born in Chicago.
Thomas worked for the railroad.
He is listed as living in Nebraska on the 1930 census record with Minnie, Pasty(my mother) and Goldie Simpson. They were apparently living with my Great Grandmother, Goldie Simpson(Minnie's mother).
On this record it lists his birth place as Georgia. I believe this to be incorrect. My mother has always said he was born in County Cork, Ireland.
My mothers listing is incorrect on this census record. Her last name is listed as Simpson and it should be Scanlon. We were told by a local librarian that there are many mistakes in census records.
After my Grandmother left Thomas she moved back to Iowa with my mother. The story of his death is this: A friend of Thomas Scanlon came to my Grandmothers sisters home in Iowa to let the family know that Thomas had died. My mom was still pretty young, but she does remember being told. So, I'm guessing she was between 3-5 years old.
There was never a funeral, death certificate (that we know of) or anything else you would expect after someone dies. Patricia is his child, so I don't know why the railroad would not have tried to contact the family... if that was the practice then.
My mother was recently sent a letter found by an distant relative of a friend of my Grandmothers. It was written before Minnie met Thomas. But, the post mark is Kansas City with the address of the hotel she was staying in. The date of the letter is 1927 only a few months before the date on the marriage license of Thomas & Minnie.
I found an old map on line and if I am correct, the street address of this letter places that hotel within a few blocks of the railroad station. I am wondering/guessing if this is how Minnie meet Thomas in the first place. It is simply a guess, we don't know when, where or how they met.
The name Thomas Scanlon seems to be a very common Irish name. I don't when he came to this county. If he came as an adult, child or infant. I don't know his parents name, if he had siblings or anything else that would help me locate him. I'm frustrated and feel at a stand still.
I have a copy of the only photo we have of Thomas posted on deadfred. I will also add it to my page on this site.
My mother has always wondered if her Father actually did die... She has searched for him off and on most of her life. She wondered if maybe he went back to Ireland...not sure why she thought this... Obviously he would not be living at this point if he didn't die.
I would really like to be able to give her some facts/answers about her Father and that line of our family to put her mind at rest.
I do have a family tree on line through myfamily. com. It is a free site and links to ancestry every time I make changes or add to the tree. I don't have a paid ancestry account so I have used my local library and the free on line services when time allows me to research.
Any help, information, suggestions, etc., would be very much appreciated.
Thank you!
This is what I know as fact and what my mother was told about her Father.
He married Minnie Lucille Wilty (Bayles) in Omaha, Nebraska in 1927
His name on the marriage license (my mother has the original) is written as: Thomas E. Scanlon.
Now, my mother was always told his middle name was Sean. I'm assuming the middle initial on the marriage license is an error. (Now know middle initial is NOT an error)
Thomas and Minnie had Patricia Alice around 1929, she was born in Chicago.
Thomas worked for the railroad.
He is listed as living in Nebraska on the 1930 census record with Minnie, Pasty(my mother) and Goldie Simpson. They were apparently living with my Great Grandmother, Goldie Simpson(Minnie's mother).
On this record it lists his birth place as Georgia. I believe this to be incorrect. My mother has always said he was born in County Cork, Ireland.
My mothers listing is incorrect on this census record. Her last name is listed as Simpson and it should be Scanlon. We were told by a local librarian that there are many mistakes in census records.
After my Grandmother left Thomas she moved back to Iowa with my mother. The story of his death is this: A friend of Thomas Scanlon came to my Grandmothers sisters home in Iowa to let the family know that Thomas had died. My mom was still pretty young, but she does remember being told. So, I'm guessing she was between 3-5 years old.
There was never a funeral, death certificate (that we know of) or anything else you would expect after someone dies. Patricia is his child, so I don't know why the railroad would not have tried to contact the family... if that was the practice then.
My mother was recently sent a letter found by an distant relative of a friend of my Grandmothers. It was written before Minnie met Thomas. But, the post mark is Kansas City with the address of the hotel she was staying in. The date of the letter is 1927 only a few months before the date on the marriage license of Thomas & Minnie.
I found an old map on line and if I am correct, the street address of this letter places that hotel within a few blocks of the railroad station. I am wondering/guessing if this is how Minnie meet Thomas in the first place. It is simply a guess, we don't know when, where or how they met.
The name Thomas Scanlon seems to be a very common Irish name. I don't when he came to this county. If he came as an adult, child or infant. I don't know his parents name, if he had siblings or anything else that would help me locate him. I'm frustrated and feel at a stand still.
I have a copy of the only photo we have of Thomas posted on deadfred. I will also add it to my page on this site.
My mother has always wondered if her Father actually did die... She has searched for him off and on most of her life. She wondered if maybe he went back to Ireland...not sure why she thought this... Obviously he would not be living at this point if he didn't die.
I would really like to be able to give her some facts/answers about her Father and that line of our family to put her mind at rest.
I do have a family tree on line through myfamily. com. It is a free site and links to ancestry every time I make changes or add to the tree. I don't have a paid ancestry account so I have used my local library and the free on line services when time allows me to research.
Any help, information, suggestions, etc., would be very much appreciated.
Thank you!
Views: 6
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Kate Steere on -
Hi Heather-
I found the 1930 record, listing Patsy as Thomas's Step Sister-in-Law, I'm attaching it so other folks can see it and try to help figure out your mystery. - Attachments:
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Scanlon_Simpson_1930.jpeg, 493 KB
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Permalink Reply by GeneJ on -
Hi Kate, Heather and Julie:
1925 Iowa State Census, Wayne County, Iowa, record of Walter and Minnie Wilty, residing Corydon with their three children.
Reports Minnie Bales mother's maiden name as Goldie Simpson.
Heather, have you been able to find the three Wilty children in the 1930 U.S. Federal Census? --GJ - Attachments:
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Permalink Reply by Julie Carr on -
1930 United States Federal Census
Name: Thomas Scanlon
Age: 51
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1879
Name: Thomas Scanlon
Birth: abt 1879 - location
Residence: 1930 - city, Douglas, Nebraska
1930 United States Federal Census
Name: Thomas Scanlon
Spouse: Minnie
Birth: abt 1902 - location
Residence: 1930 - city, Douglas, Nebraska
1920 United States Federal Census
Name: Thomas J Scanlon
Birth: abt 1850 - location
Arrival: year
Residence: 1920 - city, Douglas, Nebraska
Could be relatives?? -
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Permalink Reply by Julie Carr on
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forgot to upload the 1920 census
I can't get to the 1930 ones -- I only have hertiage Quest thru my library and you have to look at it one image at a time. Sorry.
Julie - Attachments:
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1920 Thomas Widow.gif, 330 KB
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Permalink Reply by GeneJ on
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Hi Heather :
Do you have a birth certificate for "Minnie Lucille Wilty (Bayles)?"
Was her maiden name Bayles and did she marry again after her separation from Thomas? Might you share with us those details? When/where did Minnie die?
You wrote, "I do have a family tree on line through myfamily. com. It is a free site and links to ancestry every time I make changes or add to the tree." I'm not familiar with how your myfamily.com tree links to ancestry.
What is the name of your tree? I did find two Ancestry Public Member Trees including "Thomas Sean Scanlon." One is "Cooper Family Tree" by 1smartgirl4u; other is Booth/McNeeley Family Tree by BillBooth59. The former reports his wife as Minnie Lucille Bayles; the latter, as Minnie Lucille Wilty.
From 1smartgirl4u:
Minnie Lucille Bayes, b. 10 June 1904, Seymour, Iowa; d. 10 Mar 1974, St. Louis, Missouri
m[app. 1], Walter Baines Wilty (1889-1964); three children:
---Kenneth Wlater Witly (1920-2001); born Seymore Iowa USA
---Edwin O. Wilty (1923-1945), born Iowa
---Richard George Wilty (1924-1992). born, Iowa.
m[app. 2], Thomas Sean Scanlon ....
---Living Scanlon
m[app. 3] Herbert Kenneth King (1905-1978)
---Living King
---Living King -
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Permalink Reply by Heather on -
Gene, you found the right tree. It is the Cooper Family Tree. I don't have a birth certificate for Minnie. That is on my list of things to find! :-) Yes, her maiden name was Bayles, Her Father was William Bayles.
Her first husband was Walter Wilty, second husband was Thomas Scanlon, third husband was Kenneth King. King is deceased, I didn't realize that I neglected to add that information to the site. He died a few years before Minnie.
The other tree's you found are other family members on my family site. They either have the same info I do or not as much as I do.
Here is a copy of the marriage license. -
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Permalink Reply by GeneJ on
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Hi Heather:
Thank you for providing the additional information and confirmation.
The marriage certificate you posted appears an original; perhaps a family artifact? Have you checked with officials at Omaha or Douglas County and/or Nebraska (state of) to learn if their marriage records include license or certificate _related_ documents? Some related documents contain little information, while others include numerous details.
For example, my grandmother's 1890s era application at Will Co., Illinois, includes names of her parents, etc. I've attached an album copy of their marriage documents. Flip to the second page to see an example of a marriage related document. In this case, the document was titled, "Return of Marriage to County, Clerk." - Attachments:
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Permalink Reply by GeneJ on
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Perhaps this is the SSDI entry for the son, Kenneth W. Wilty?
DOD here is 8 Dec 2000 (your Public Tree reports 2001); the birth date here is just one day off from the record in your Public Tree:
Name: Kenneth W. Wilty ; SSN: 482-14-4903
Born: 30 Jul 1920 ; Died: 8 Dec 2000
State (Year) SSN issued: Iowa (Before 1951) -
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Permalink Reply by GeneJ on
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Hi Heather:
By any chance have you coaxed some DNA from your mother and/or her suviving half siblings? --GJ -
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Permalink Reply by Heather on
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Yes, it is the original. An incredible peice of family history in my humble opinion. :-)
I didn't know there could be additional documents. Do I simply contact the records office in Omaha? Gosh if it is anything like the document you attached.... I could find out a lot!?
Hadn't even thought of the DNA route.... her half siblings were all from my Grandmothers first marriage. My mom is the only child of Thomas and Minnie.
How would we be able to trace Thomas through DNA? Please excuse my ignorance on the topic. -
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